When Michelle talks Climate Change

Wisconsin

Whatever the result of the Wisconsin Recall results, i think there is still hope for progressives. I only hope that this is just a beginning of a broader movement that brings the progressive wing of the Democratic party to congress replacing the Blue Dogs, not to mention the ultra crazy, obstructionist wing of the Republican Party.

Lokpal - Observations

Today the government tabled it's version of the Lokpal bill and Team Anna was burning the same outside. I have only a few observations to make from what i have seen till now.

Team Anna is trying to sell it's version as a solution to everything corrupt under the sun (atleast within India), which is just not going to work. In their zeal to root out corruption they have tried to bring every damn department within the purview of Lokpal. I don't see how they will implement this even they get a chance to pass their version. Also, you just cannot legislate corruption away. It needs to be organic. Instead of the my way or highway approach which has given the Congress Govt to point out Team Anna's intransigence as an excuse to come out with it's own more or less a watered down version of Lokpal, Team Anna must have worked as the watchdog within the joint committee holding the govt to task and coming out with one stronger version of Lokpal.

While Team Anna might have it's heart at the right place, it's method of tantrum throwing and calling into question the integrity of everything that relates to our Polity and constitutional process doesn't go well with people who still have faith within the democratic process. If i should not trust the politicians who are atleast held accountable every 5 years, how am i supposed to trust arbitrarily chosen "Few Good Men" who make up the lokpal. I surely don't (maybe i am too cynical). Let us think about this for a minute. Would anyone have thought the democratic setup we came up with after independence would devolve into such a corrupt system? The idealists and statesmen gave way to corrupt politicians. So, how am i supposed to believe that we need to have an ombudsman who is all powerful and unaccountable and not elected will stick to it's legislated mandate? Maybe in the first 5-10 years. How about after that?

I feel, notwithstanding another fasting threat (on Aug 16), Team Anna has lost a great opportunity to have played a very constructive role in this whole process. The popular anger and support was behind them and they could have kept the Govt's feet to fire. By walking out and coming with their own version and trying to put a deadline by which the Govt must pass their version and threatening with a fast if the govt fails to do so they have painted themselves into a corner.

I also have to say something about the way Team Anna comes off on TV, especially Arvind Kejiriwal and Kiran Bedi. Both of them have their heart in the right place, God bless them, but they come off very off handed in any interview or discussion. When some relevant questions are asked of them they keep changing the goal posts or make simplistic arguments which never answer the asked question. I also hate it when Arvind brings up the movie Gandhi and the scene where Gandhiji burns the passes to their act of burning the Lokpal draft. I am sorry, whatever the drawbacks of our current political system and however corrupt the system is, it is not the same as a subjugating alien power and Team Anna ain't made of Mahatma Gandhis (including highly respected Anna Hazare). I only wish he stops using that as an analogy.

I only hope that they use the immense popular outrage that is behind them in the coming days to good use rather than overreaching and in the end wasting away the whole thing.